When people left the church (film preview clip)

'When God Left the Building' film explores the reason for a decline in church attendance

By Jessica Benes

Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
03/27/2014 01:35:25 PM MDT

There's church.

And there's God.

And there are all those people who believe in God but don't go to church.

Why?

If you go

What: "When God Left the Building" documentary film

When: 10 a.m. screening on Saturday, April 12

Where: Lifetree Film Festival at the Rialto Theater Center, 228 E. Fourth St.

Cost: Ticket prices range from $10 for single events to $45 for an All Fest Pass.

More info: Details about the film can be found here: whengodleftthebuilding.com Festival information and tickets are available at LifetreeFilms.com or at the Rialto Theater box office, 962-2120. A portion of the proceeds will go to the House of Neighborly Service in Loveland.

A group of filmmakers at Group Publishing sought to answer that question after noticing the startling decline in participation at churches in the United States.

Advertisement

Their documentary, "When God Left the Building," will premier at the Lifetree Film Festival on Saturday, April 12.

The story began with a random visit in 2011 to a church near Rochester, N.Y., that has declined in attendance from 900 to 30 people.

"We were curious to know what happened," said Thom Schultz, founder and CEO of Group Publishing. "We have spent the past three years following the inside workings and human dynamics of what was happening in that church. It's a fascinating mashup of happenings and people and conflict and cultural influence."

"When God Left the Building" is a film produced by Group Publishing that explores the reasons that church attendance is in sharp decline. The film is premiering at the Lifetree Film Festival on April 12. (Special to the Reporter-Herald)

They have filmed circumstances at that church and several around the country, and what they found was that the churches they profiled experienced a number of internal and external forces that led to decreased attendance.

External Forces

Culture has changed the way people view church, and Christians aren't necessarily looking for membership in an institutional church model as they have in the past.

"It's no longer a fit for people today," Schultz said. "That has resulted in people disconnecting from church."

He said this is exaggerated among people in their teens up to those in their 30s. They are looking for a model other than what has been unchanged in the church for the past 200 years.

Also, people have a perception that the church is a judgmental place where congregation members are not interested in people's questions or doubts.

"Those play a part of the reason why people stay away as well," Schultz said.

Internal Forces

Conflict over petty topics plays a role in why people turn away from church. The little things tend to grow into monsters that split people up, he said. In one church the film crew profiled, two factions formed — one that aligns with the current pastor, and the other looking to get rid of the pastor.

"It just got uglier and uglier," Schultz said.

Comparison

In their final days of filming, Schultz and his team were stationed at the base of the Kodak building in Rochester, following an interesting intersection.

"The Eastman Kodak company has gone into sharp decline over the past decades, and we started to look at that and noticed a number of chilling parallels to what is happening in the church," Schultz said.

Kodak is a company that was not aware of or paying attention to the arrival of the digital revolution. It was determined to stick with film, he said, and failed to make changes that would put it at the forefront of digital imaging .

Kodak made the mistake of thinking it was in the film industry when really, it was in the image business, Schultz said.

Churches have failed in the same way by being so invested in traditions and the way things have always been done that they are clinging to those practices at the expense of culture and adapting methodologies.

Core Church Message

This does not affect the core church message, he said.

"The message of the Gospel is as relevant today as it ever has been," Schultz said. "We believe that the central mission of any church is to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, and that again is part of where we've fallen off the tracks."

The film is just questioning the methodologies.

The film points out successful examples of reaching out. One policeman, who saw people every day who could benefit from a positive message about Jesus, started a weekly spiritual meeting in a bar.

"It's an experience where people can talk about real stuff and find spiritual meaning and hope for the real things they are facing," Schultz said.

Schultz expects the film to be somewhat controversial.

"We've shown pieces of it to ministry leaders across the country, and we see a variety of reactions," Schultz said. "People want to talk about it afterwards. It stirs them and evokes a conversation. That's exactly what we need to begin in the church today. Let's put these issues on the table."

Thom Schultz, director of the film "When God Left the Building," stands with cinematographer Matt Schultz as they film a scene at the old Kodak headquarters in Rochester, N.Y., on Monday. The film, created by Group Publishing, explores the issue of declining church attendance. (Special to the Reporter-Herald)